


The World, Our World

by zombified419



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bruce And Tony Live Together, F/M, FrostIron - Freeform, Fun, Guildmates, Humor, Lighthearted, Loki Plays Hard To Get, M/M, MMO Terminology, MMORPG, Romance, The Avengers Are A Guild, The Avengers Are In College, Thor Is a Good Bro, loki without magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-04-17 12:58:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4667384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombified419/pseuds/zombified419
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark and Bruce Banner pass their free college time away with The World, an online MMORPG. After playing for nearly a year together, they receive an invite to join a young guild called the Avengers. They meet Steve, Clint, Natasha, and Thor, and six months later, Tony decides it's about time they all meet face-to-face. He was expecting them to all be friends because they work so well together as a team, but he wasn't expecting Thor to bring his brother. Not that he's complaining. [FrostIron]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It's Not A Bad Idea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shi_Toyu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with something else new and fun! Super light-hearted, too. Also, blame Shi-Toyu for this. I was tossing around the idea and she decided that she needed it in her life. And I'm a sucker, so, here it is!

* * *

"Alright, guys - ready?" 

"Yeah, this is going to be an easy one." 

"Nat, you and Clint cover his flank." 

"Yup!" 

"Got it." 

"Bruce, you stay out of the way, back behind Tony, but keep a good eye on Thor." 

"I can handle that." 

"Great - Thor, draw as much attention as you can. Channel all his aggression." 

"Aye!" 

"And Tony - " 

"Yes, Stevie?" God, even on his headset he sounded like an ass. Steve sighed, the sound transferring over the party's headsets. 

"Just...light up the sky, I guess." 

"Roger, Rogers!" He wouldn't be surprised if Nat tried to stab him later for that, too. A collective sigh echoed. 

"Geez, Stark, you're a dick." 

"That's not what your mom said last night, Barton." 

"Tony!" Tony looked over from his screen to his roommate. Bruce Banner had his laptop in his lap with his mouse on the pulled over coffee table. He pushed his headset down around his neck and held his hands up. "What is _wrong_ with you? We've only been in this guild for six months - you're gonna get us kicked out!" 

Tony snorted and pulled his Bluetooth headset off. "Please, Bruce - they won't kick us out. You're the only healer, and I'm the only one who can fuse armour. It'll be fine - the worse that'll happen is I'm skipped for the loot after we kill this fucker." 

Bruce huffed and pulled his glasses off, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Listen, I like these guys. They're nice, and they actually sound like they're around our age - " The last guild they joined were full of forty-sometimes with avatars that looked like fifteen year old school girls, which lasted all of one dungeon. Tony's idea; even for a genius, not all of them were winners. " - so don't mess it up." 

Tony grinned and scratched his chin. "Alright, alright, Brucie; but only because you're my favourite." 

The chemist smiled shyly, his cheeks heating. "Shut up and put your headset on." Tony stuck his tongue out. 

"Don't block me out!" He called. Bruce ignored him and fixed his headset, eyes dropping back to his screen. Tony huffed and did the same. 

"Sorry, guys," Bruce said. "He's under control. We can go on now." Tony flipped Bruce the bird over his shoulder, hearing the man snigger over his headset. 

"Thanks, Bruce," Steve answered. Tony rolled his eyes. "Alright, team. Everyone ready?" 

Tony listened to each team member call affirmative, adding his own after Bruce. His eyes fixed on his screen, double checking his hot bar and adding his experience and speed boosts. He was the third of the damage per second characters in their guild, but his rate of recovery was far better than an archer's could be, and he swapped regularly to close ranged attacks when things got too hairy, placing him as the best of both worlds. 

He and Bruce played The World for nearly a year together before deciding to join a guild. It was a perfect way to pass the time when they weren't in class, and because they were both incredibly _good_ at what they did, they often found an abundance of time left on their hands. Tony originally started as a gladiator, the same tank class that Steve used, before a new expansion released the engineer class with a more specialized job. It worked much better for Bruce, who still stuck as a white mage, to have a party member be able to transition from close to long range. Tony particularly loved his new skill set as well, now having the ability to meld upgrades directly to armour. 

They met Captain America on a random-set dungeon raid; after two failed attempts with a previously terrible healer, the three of them were able to carry the other three members of their party directly to the end. Hardly minutes after the final boss, Captain America was sending them both guild invites. 

Captain America was one of the more skilled tanks Tony had ever seen - he was downright selfless, calling any and all attention to himself to keep them off of Bruce and Tony. When they meet the other two members of the guild, Hawkeye the archer and Black Widow the rogue, it seemed they had a set plan. Then Thor came along, a marauder with a massive hammer that Tony didn't believe was actually allowed for his level, and they had their second tank. 

"Guys, boss coming up now," Bruce said. "Tony, get over here." 

"On my way," Tony answered, blasting off a few rapid shots to kill the demons moving towards Bruce. He stood a few feet off to the side of Bruce and began to take aim. 

Clint and Natasha took their spots closer than Tony and Bruce. The ground began to rumble, jostling Tony's screen. All the additional targets went still, turning to face the back of the cave. The wall began to crumble as a large Orc smashed his way in, rocks cascading down around him. The lesser demons began to cheer during the cutscene, waving their crude hammers and spikes up over their heads. The scene abruptly ended, spurring the team to move. 

Thor gave a loud whoop and immediately assaulted the boss, Crass the Destroyer. Steve engaged to the side of Thor while Natasha kept behind Crass. The Orc flailed and missed her entirely, too bothered by Thor's lightning-based melee and Steve's stun-inducing shield bashes to notice her. Clint and Tony picked off the remaining demons and focused on Crass. Before long, the second wave of adds came in. 

"Hey, Clint," Tony called, setting up his massive multi-target attack. "Bet I can kill more than you." 

Clint snorted. "Yeah, _right."_

"I bet you two thousand flint that I can kill these fucks before you draw your second arrow," Tony challenged. 

"Fine - I need a new upgrade, anyway," Clint answered. "I dare you." 

Tony clicked on his Hailstorm attack. His avatar shot both his guns into the air and in a complete circle - dropping all five adds around him and Bruce. Tony couldn't help but smirk. 

"I expect a trade after this fight." 

"Guys!" Natasha barked. "Pay attention!" 

Tony noticed the aggression being focused on Bruce now, of all people. Crass turned and immediately began bounding over. "What the hell, guys?" 

"Crass has a TP draining ability," Steve called, his avatar throwing his shield to try and draw back his attention. "Thor and I are recovering too slow, and Natasha can't handle full aggro. Clint, you take DPS while Tony tanks. Ten seconds, guys." 

"You got it," Tony answered. "Bruce, run." 

"On it!" Tony couldn't help but smirk at Bruce's cleric scrambling to the edge of the cave. Tony shifted his attention to Crass as Bruce began to cast protect. 

The limit bar was still full, causing Tony to groan. "Guys, why didn't you limit break?" 

"No TP!" Thor boomed. Tony rolled his eyes - Thor was far too loud for a headset sometimes. 

"Okay, okay - I'll take it," Tony answered. Crass focused all of his attention to Tony after a successful taunt and brought his massive club down in a wide swing. Tony grimaced as he watched half his health drop away. "Shit, Bruce." 

"I got you, man." Tony sighed after Bruce healed him, still charging up for the limit break. 

"Thanks," he answered, the cast time for the limit break dissolving. His avatar held both hands out and summoned two electric cannons, turning them on Crass. The cannons glowed a bright translucent blue before firing, the screen whiting out for a split second. Crass immediately stopped moving, rocking on his feet, before falling back to the ground with a seismic thud. Tony couldn't help but grin as Thor whooped loudly. 

"Excellently done, Man of Iron!" Thor called. Everyone trotted over to Clint and Tony. Crass' body disappeared, leaving behind a treasure chest. 

"Thanks, Thor," he answered. "I should really be thanking you guys for not using the limit break." 

Steve laughed. "No problem." 

"Looks like Nat gets this loot," Clint said. Tony noticed the loot option in the corner of his screen and sighed. 

"Yeah, it's only for a rogue or ninja. Dammit, papa needs new a flanchard!" 

"Well, doesn't Clint owe you some flint? That should be more than enough," Bruce said. Clint groaned. 

"Dammit, Bruce. You're supposed to be a _healer,_ you know - kind to all, Mother Teresa and all that shit," Clint mumbled. 

"Yes, I suppose you're right - but fair is fair," Bruce said. Tony turned in his seat and smiled broadly; Bruce grinned back and gave him a thumbs up. 

Tony laughed when the trade window popped up from Hawkeye, complete with every flint. "Thanks, buddy!" 

"When did you learn that, by the way?" 

"Just leveled a day or two ago," Tony answered. He totally had enough for the new scalemail leggings he had his eye on. "It's pretty useful when Bruce and I run into one too many direwolves." 

"I bet," Clint answered. 

"It was pretty useful here," Steve said. "Good job, everyone." 

"Thanks, Captain!" Tony chirped, making Steve laugh. 

"Anyone need a teleport out?" Natasha asked. "I have a few free tickets left if anyone wants to hitch a ride." 

Tony clicked on the window to follow her. "I'm in. Thanks." 

"Sure, yeah," Bruce answered. 

"Thanks, Natasha," Steve said. Once Clint and Thor were included, they teleported away to the city-state they met in, the capital Indale. Tony always marveled at the tall spires and high arches. It was snowing, bathing the entire courtyard in a beautiful white. 

"Hey guys, I'll be away from keyboard for a second," Steve said. "When I come back, want to run Tooklate?" 

"Bruce and I are in!" Tony answered. 

"I don't have shit to do, so sure," Clint said, his avatar moving to sit on a bench under an awning. "I'll be here when you guys get back." 

"I'll go do a side quest and be back," Natasha replied, trotting off. 

"I shall return!" Thor called. "Do not leave without me!" Thor's avatar immediately disappeared, causing Tony to send a Bruce a sideways glance. 

"Uh, okay. I'm gonna go spread this hard-earned dough on some new armour." 

"Don't get flagged for indecent exposure, Iron Man," Clint teased, causing Tony to roll his eyes. 

"Just once, man, that's all it takes." 

"Duh - why do you think those people go to prison?" Clint laughed. Tony sighed and shook his head. 

"I'm muting you until Steve is ready, Clint." Tony tapped a key and pushed his headset back. "Hey Bruce - I have a question for you." 

"Shoot," he answered. 

"Pull you headset off," Tony said. Bruce looked up, obviously confused, but did as he was asked. 

"Is everything okay, Tony?" He asked. 

"Yeah, I was just thinking," the genius began. He spun in his chair and folded his arms over the back. "The World is server based." 

Bruce narrowed his eyes. "Yeah?" 

"And those servers are done by area, for population purposes," Tony continued. Bruce began to frown. 

"Uh-huh." 

"So that means all of the Avengers must be in this area, right?" He said, pulling at the tag on the back of his chair. 

"Tony - are you suggesting what I think you are?" Bruce asked, setting his laptop on the coffee table. 

"That we meet face-to-face with our guild?" Tony offered. Bruce sighed. 

"Tony - " 

"No, no! Hear me out!" The genius said, standing. "We have, like, _zero_ friends, Bruce." 

"I have friends," the chemist huffed. Tony raised an eyebrow at him. "I have _friends!"_

"Okay, don't count me," Tony said. "How many?" 

Bruce narrowed his eyes. "I'm not doing this." 

"You won't do it because I'm _right_ and you know it," Tony challenged. He folded his arms over his chest and grinned smugly. 

"Why are you so proud about pointing out that we have no friends?" Bruce asked, shaking his head. Tony deflated slightly. 

"That's...beside the point, Bruce," he said with a nod. Yeah, that's good. "Bruce, these people - they seem pretty cool. We're all already on the same server, and we're all adults. Let's see if they want to meet up somewhere, like coffee or bowling or whatever people do." 

"Don't you think The World is enough?" Bruce asked. He scratched the back of his neck. "I mean, we deal with people all day in class. I'd rather not, when I'm here." 

"Hey, that's not the Bruce I know!" Tony called, bouncing over to the couch. He grabbed Bruce's shoulders and pulled him back against the cushions. He rested his chin on Bruce's shoulder and held both arms out before them. 

"Just imagine - people to hang with, Bruce! People that _like_ us. They don't take our classes, they probably don't even go to this university. We work well together in The World, why wouldn't we be good friends in real life? They seem cool, except that Barton guy." 

Bruce laughed. "Clint is nice." 

"Yeah, whatever - there's also Nat, Bruce! She sounds hot, maybe she isn't seeing anyone? I know you guys run raids together without me," Tony said, waggling his eyebrows. Bruce craned his neck slightly and blushed at Tony's lewd expression. 

_"Tony!"_

"What? I'm just thinking of my best pal, man," Tony said, mocking disappointment. "But seriously - these people, they aren't just tolerating us. I think we should do it. We could get a good group of friends here, man." 

Bruce sighed, leaning back against the couch. Tony dug his chin into his shoulder and scratched his curly hair. "Dude, you know you want to. _I_ know you want to." 

Bruce groaned and dropped his head back on the cushions. "Fine, I kinda do. When all this blows up, though, _you_ get the blame. I'm an innocent bystander." 

Tony whooped and kissed Bruce's cheek. "Hell yes! I love you, man." 

"Geez, Tony!" Bruce stammered, his face heating quickly. Tony sniggered as he headed for their kitchen. "You need to get a boyfriend, like, _yesterday."_

"How ever could you say that?" Tony asked, pulling out two bottles of cider and heading into the living room. He passed one to Bruce and moved back to the desk. "Do you not want to live with me anymore?" 

"Not at all!" Bruce answered as he twisted the cap from his cider. "Just you hanging all over me is distracting." 

"Oh, yeah?" Tony answered, wagging his eyebrows again at Bruce. Bruce just sighed. 

_"Yes,_ it is, but not in the 'I'm suddenly going to appreciate it' way." 

"Yeah right," Tony scoffed. He picked up his headset. "I know you love it." 

Bruce didn't answer, instead putting his headset on and shaking his head. Tony did the same and headed off to the markets. "Be right back!" 

Once he was fully equipped in his new armour, Tony headed back to the square. Bruce was sitting on the bench with Clint; Natasha was back wearing an entirely new armour set as Thor jumped up and down in place. Tony just quirked an eyebrow - he knew Thor just moved here from England, and, well, _eccentric_ was the best word to describe him. 

"Killer armour, Nat," Tony commented. Natasha stepped away from the wall and moved to the centre. She twirled lightly, the soft light of the game shining on all the right points. Her top was a maroon tunic cut low to her belly button, exposing the chainmail beneath it. The leggings and gauntlets matched the maroon and chainmail perfectly, even right down to her shoes. 

"Thanks. I just got the last piece," she said. "It's level forty." 

"Shit!" Tony whistled. "That's awesome." 

"Lowers my cool down time and raises my dexterity seventy points, too." 

"I'm _stupid_ jealous," Tony answered. "I just got this scalemail flanchard. It lowers cool down too, but that's about it. Oh, and raises defense." 

"That'll help the next time you impromptu tank," Natasha said. 

There was a moment of silence before Nat, Bruce, and Thor started laughing. "What?" Tony asked. 

"Clint said you have clown feet," Bruce answered. Tony rolled his eyes and removed his mute on Clint. 

"Bitch, I _will_ shoot you," Tony said, targeting Clint on his bench. Bruce subtly moved a few feet down. "And at least I don't look like I'm wearing a bikini top." 

"He has a point, Clint," Natasha said. Bruce and Thor sniggered. "Your chest is largely exposed." 

"This gear is high level, man! High defense, too," he mumbled. 

"Yeah, so is Bruce's cleric cloak, and that's _literally_ a sheet." 

That got Clint laughing and, before long, the rest were all chuckling. That's how Steve found them, walking over from their teleport point. "I'm back. What did I miss?" 

"Tony has clown shoes and Clint is wearing a bikini," Bruce piped up. That made Tony laugh even harder as Clint squeaked into his mic. Steve started laughing, too. 

"Oh god, it's all true." 

"Yeah, yeah! Moving on - thought we were going to Tooklate!" Clint snapped, standing suddenly. Tony shook his head, still laughing. 

"Absolutely," Steve said, clearing his throat. "Who's queuing?" 

"I will," Bruce said. Tony watched his avatar begin the seals for summoning a queue and made his decision. Now or never. 

"Hey, guys?" Tony began, watching the small window pop up for their dungeon. "I was curious about something." 

"What's up?" Steve asked. 

"Well, as a group effort, of course - meaning stop me if this gets stupid or whatever - we're all on the same server, which means that we're all on this coast. So, Bruce and I were - " 

"No, _just_ Tony, innocent bystander, here," Bruce cut in. Tony rolled his eyes and threw a pen at his couch. His aim was spot on, Bruce huffing into his mic. 

_"Bruce and I_ were thinking that, well, we work so well together on here, that we should meet up. As a group." 

Tony held his breath, waiting for a response. The guild as a whole was oddly quiet. 

"Do you mean, like, in real life?" Steve finally asked. 

"Yeah! Like coffee or bowling or whatever," Tony answered eagerly. The lines fell silent again. Tony began to get discouraged - of course, now that he had mentioned it, they would treat him weird and it would be a week maybe two tops before his role in the guild was replaced - 

"Yeah, sure," Clint said. Tony blinked. "I think that's a great idea. Tony's right - we all get along really well on here. Maybe being friends outside of The World isn't such a bad idea." 

"I agree," Natasha said. Tony began to smile, looking over his shoulder at Bruce on the couch. The other scientist was grinning, too, catching his eye. "Clint and I live in New York." 

"Bruce and I go to university there!" Tony said. "Steve, what do you think?" 

Their guild leader was silent for a moment. "I live in New York, too..." He fell silent again, making Tony start biting his lip. If Steve wasn't in on it, then, there was no way the rest would still want to. "Hey, why not? I'm in!" 

Tony whooped, air high-fiving Bruce from his desk. "Thor, what about you buddy?" 

"I would be delighted!" Thor boomed. "My family is new to America; I have been suggested to meet others outside of The World." 

"It's settled, then!" Tony said, grinning. "So when's a good time for everyone?" 

After back and forth between Thor and Clint, bickering between Clint and Natasha (see, Clint was obviously the asshole), a time and place was decided. A coffee shop off of the main roads of New York, right next to the shawarma place Tony liked. It was perfect - the six of them would meet face-to-face on Friday, two days from then. The first official meeting of the Avengers Guild. Tony couldn't wait. 

"Alright, guys - let's go kick Tooklate's ass!" 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mechanics of The World will be largely based on Final Fantasy, i.e. jobs/classes, limit breaks. The names of areas, bosses, armour - all that is mine.
> 
> Now, for those of you who do not understand some of the terms, here is a small breakdown of what was in this chapter: DPS - damage per second; TP - tactical points; Tank - that's the player with high defense and health to draw the aggression of the boss/enemies and keep their attention so the plays with higher and faster attack (DPS) deals more damage (tanks are not at all weak, they can just take more of a beating); aggro - aggression; cool down - the turnover time between using another skill.
> 
> I'll post a small glossary at the end of each chapter, but most of the terms will be reoccurring. You'll all be experts before long! ;)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Please leave me comments in that little box below. :)


	2. Tony Has Some Good Ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Bruce finally meet up with their guild!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes Loki! :D

* * *

"Can you _promise_ to not be weird?" 

Tony scoffed from the driver's seat, his jaw dropping open in mock horror. " _Robert Bruce Banner!_ I am _appalled."_

Bruce rolled his eyes from the passenger seat. "Appalled, really?" 

"Entirely!" Tony exclaimed. "Why would you suggest such horrendous behavior from me?" 

Bruce stared at the side of Tony's face with such venom that Tony's façade began to crack. "Because I know you," he deadpanned. "And you get real weird, _real_ fast." 

Tony's expression morphed into a wide grin. "You and I have different definitions for weird, then." 

"No, we don't," Bruce answered; Tony braked for a stop light. "It's the exact same - in the dictionary with your picture beside it." 

Tony laughed so hard he nearly ran into the bumper of the car in front of them. Bruce braced his hands on the dash and stared at **the** side of his friend's face again. _"Tony."_

"Okay, okay - what would you say isn't symmetrical to your definition of weird?" Tony asked, clearing his throat. The guy in the car in front of them flipped Tony the bird. 

"Well, taking my car instead of yours is a good start," Bruce said, making Tony scoff again. 

"Nothing weird about driving a Corvette, Brucie." 

"It is when you should be a starving college student." 

"Which we aren't, obviously, or we wouldn't play a pay-by-month game - " 

" - that you get free subscriptions to," Bruce interjected. 

Tony's lips twisted into a pout. "...they don't _know_ that." 

"You know, let's keep it that way," Bruce continued. 

Tony rolled his eyes and took the next right pass the light and slowed down. "Help me find a spot, buddy." 

"There, right across from the shop," Bruce directed. 

"Oh, good call," Tony said, sliding into the spot. "Now we can see if we're first or not." 

Bruce blinked slowly. "How would you know?" 

Tony grinned and winked over the rim of his shades. "No reason." 

Bruce rubbed the bridge of his nose and pushed his glasses up to his hairline. "You looked them up, didn't you?" 

"Nah," Tony dismissed. He looked across the road and craned his neck slightly. "Just taking an educated guess - _shit,_ we aren't. I bet that blond dude is Thor." 

Bruce pushed his glasses back down and leaned over to Tony's side for a better view. "Huh. I bet you're right." 

"How much?" 

Bruce frowned at his childhood friend. "How much _what?"_

"How much you wanna bet I'm right?" 

"Nope, not playing this," Bruce answered, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Let's go." 

"Aww, Brucie!" Tony whined. "C'mon, it'll be fun!" 

"No; let's _go."_

Bruce opened the door and shut it on Tony's whining. The genius thrashed in his seat, rocking Bruce's old Buick so much that the shocks squeaked. Bruce held his hands out by his side and shrugged - he wasn't worried about damage to the car, after all - Tony would get over it and be done soon. 

_"Ugh, FINE!"_ Tony hollered. Bruce suppressed a grin as he waited for traffic to let him pass. Tony climbed from the car and jogged pass him, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his sneakers against the concrete. "Where you at, old man?" 

Bruce rolled his eyes and ruffled Tony's hair once he was in range. "That - _that's_ weird." 

"Bruce," Tony said, his tone stopping the other man. "Do you really think that?" 

Bruce smiled and nudged his shoulder against his friend. "Not at all, Tony." 

Tony grinned brightly at him, but Bruce knew better. "Think they will?" 

"What's it matter?" Bruce answered. It wasn't often that they did this, but Bruce was glad his friend still needed him. "If they do, we'll just leave the guild. No questions asked." 

"True that, man," Tony agreed, his smile genuine again. "We were fine before." 

"Exactly." 

Tony patted Bruce's shoulder without another word - fifteen years of friendship did that for people. He grabbed the door and held it open for Bruce. "So, you excited to meet Nat?" 

Bruce smiled quickly. "Yeah, actually. I'm excited to meet _everyone."_

"Yeah, I bet more about Natasha, though," Tony teased, grinning when Bruce's cheeks tinted pink. 

"Tony - " 

"I bet she's a red-head. You like red-heads," Tony continued. 

_"Tony."_

"Tony!" Tony looked first at Bruce and then around the room, looking for wherever his name came from. He furrowed his brows and looked around again. 

"Where did that - ?" 

"Friend Tony!" 

Tony's expression relaxed. "Oh, that's Thor." Tony slapped Bruce's arm. "Blond guy, coming towards us. You owe me." 

Bruce grinned and turned around. Tony watched his subtle nod of agreement as a tall man built like a linebacker turned a corner towards the back of the coffee shop. His blond hair was drawn back in a loose ponytail at the base of his neck with scruffy facial hair to match. His smile was the widest Tony has ever seen, and his eyes were bright and friendly. Bruce nodded again. "Looks like his avatar." 

"Totally," Tony answered. He stepped forward and met Thor with a hearty handshake so strong he had to fight a grimace. "Thor, I presume?" 

"Aye!" He bellowed. Tony grinned back at Bruce, who hid his smile behind his palm. 

"I'm Tony," he answered, grinning. "This is Bruce." 

Thor grinned over at Bruce and released Tony's hand to take his. "It is a pleasure!" 

"Very much," Bruce answered. "Nice to meet you." 

"You over there, Thor?" Tony asked, looking around the large man. The back of the coffee shop was squared off with an extra seating section around the counter. He couldn't see where Thor had come from, but he imagined it was somewhere around there. 

Thor looked over his shoulder and nodded. "Yes, in the extra room." 

Tony nodded - made sense. "Alright. Take Bruce and I'll get some coffee. Want anything?" 

"No thank you," Thor boomed. "We are just fine!" 

Tony quirked an eyebrow at Bruce but smiled. "Okay. The usual?" 

"Yeah," Bruce answered. "Grab a scone too, blueberry." 

"Yup," Tony waved. Bruce followed after Thor, who clapped a hand over his shoulder, as Tony walked up to the counter. The barista looked like she was fighting a grin as Tony began rattling off his order. 

"Has he been here long?" He asked as he paid. She shook her head. 

"No, maybe about ten minutes. It's been eventful," she answered with a giggle. Tony grinned as she handed his receipt over. "The other one, though..." 

Tony opened his mouth to ask her what she was talking about but she turned around to begin his and Bruce's drinks. Another guy handed him a scone and chocolate chip cookie and pointed out the waiting area. Tony watched the door as he waited, wondering if he could pick out Natasha, Clint, or Steve. 

Couples trickled in holding hands, business men hustled in and out with to-go orders, and hipster kids a decade younger than Tony ordered solid black coffee and hid their frowns behind the rim of their paper cups. 

"Here you go, Mr. Stark." Tony looked to see the girl from the register passing over his order. "Did you need anything else?" 

"Actually, yes," Tony answered. He leaned forward and lowered his voice: "What did you mean by 'other one'?" 

"Oh!" She answered with a start, smiling oddly. "His brother, I think. Imagine, like, the exact opposite of him, completely. More my type, too, and snarky. Put blondie down real fast!" 

Tony hummed and tapped his chin. "Did he order anything?" 

"English tea with honey," she answered automatically. 

"Food?" Tony pressed. 

"Lemon cookie," she said, biting her bottom lip cutely. "He took my advice." 

"Tell you what," he said, passing back his wrapped cookie. "Trade me out for one of those." 

"Okay!" She chirped, bouncing back to exchange the pastries. When she came back and handed it to Tony, he pressed a twenty into her palm and winked. 

"You've been great - " he looked at her name tag, written in preppy teenager handwriting, " - Stacy. Thanks for all your help." 

She gaped at him as he walked away, waving his hand over his shoulder as he headed towards the back room. 

Tony turned the corner and unwrapped his cookie to see Bruce and Thor sitting at a table for eight. Thor waved at Tony and rose to his feet. "Friend Tony! We are here." 

"I see you, champ," he answered with a grin. "I heard you brought your brother." 

"Aye!" Thor answered, his smile bright. He looked towards the back of the room. "Brother, come over!" 

Tony followed the blond's line of sight and felt his breath hitch. Against the back wall was a table for two but the sole occupant wasn't in the mood for company, if his foot in the other chair was anything to go by. Black jeans and black dress shirt, tucked, lounging comfortably against the wall and propped chin against fist, book open on the table, sat Thor's brother. 

"I'd rather not," the man answered. His voice was so calm and disinterested that Tony _had_ to hear it again. Something about him already had his attention. 

"Why not?" He challenged, drawing Thor and Bruce's attention. "Bet we're cooler than you think." 

Tony took an unintentionally larger bite of his cookie just as Thor's brother looked over, eyes sharp and so green that it literally startled him. "Under what pretense?" 

"Because I'm Iron Man," Tony answered cheekily, which earned a snort from Bruce. Tony slid around beside his roommate and sat down across from Thor, passing over Bruce's coffee and scone. He kicked the chair out closest to him, the head set, and waved his hand. "Don't be a stranger." 

"Brother," Thor followed warmly, taking his seat back. "Come over?" 

Between Thor's rephrasing and Tony's not-so-subtle puppy eyes, Thor's brother sighed and closed his book. He picked up his cup and book and stalked over. Damn, Stacy wasn't kidding - he literally was Thor's polar opposite, even right down to the colour spectrum. Taller, lithe, pale, with hair longer than Thor's and blacker than night, free and falling around his shoulder blades. Tony attempted to hide his slight flush in taking a sip of his coffee just as the dark god sat _beside_ him. 

"Wonderful," Thor said, clapping a hand over his brother's shoulder and beaming at him. "Brother, this is Bruce!" 

Thor held his hand out to Bruce, who smiled awkwardly and gave a weak wave. Thor's brother quirked an eyebrow but nodded. Tony bit the inside of his cheek. 

"And this is - " 

"Tony Stark," he cut in, holding his hand out. Thor just continued to grin. "And who might you be?" 

Those green eyes swung on him sharply; Tony suddenly felt like his palms were beginning to sweat. He could feel Bruce's eyes boring into the back of his head; no doubt his roommate was already onto his game. Green eyes dropped to his proffered hand for a second before he gently reached out. "I am Loki," he answered smoothly. Tony already loved the feel of Loki's hand in his, the texture and temperature so different and the colour contrast beautiful. 

Tony squeezed briefly and smiled brightly. "Pleasure." 

Loki quirked a thin eyebrow again. "I am _sure."_

An elbow in his side forced Tony to grin and release Loki's hand. He turned towards Bruce and pushed his scone a little closer to him. "Yes, dear?" 

Bruce shot him a look that clearly said he knew what was going on and to knock it off. Tony, however, didn't care. "When do you think the others will arrive?" 

"I don't know," Tony answered, craning his neck to see around Bruce. "Hey Goldie, you have a clear view of the door, yeah?" 

"Aye!" Thor answered. "I believe I see more of our guild mates!" Thor pushed back from his seat and waved jovially at a red-head in a black jacket and jeans standing next to a guy built more like Bruce and Tony in a purple hoodie. Tony overheard 'Black Widow' and 'Hawkeye' leave Thor's mouth and leaned back in his seat. 

"That's Nat and Barton, Bruce," he stage whispered. Bruce rolled his eyes and nodded. 

"So I heard," he muttered. Loki snorted beside Tony, drawing the genius' attention. 

"Thor understands little of volume control," he drawled. Tony was disappointed to see his book open again, suddenly wanting all of Loki's attention. 

"I bet it's fun at home," he teased, taking a sip of his coffee. Loki shrugged and flipped a page. 

"Yes, watching a film can be quite droll," he answered dryly, earning a bark of laughter from Tony that had the man look up in mild surprise. 

"Oh, that's classic," he chuckled, breaking off a piece of his cookie. "You should hear Thor in The World. I've taken my mic off and went to the kitchen and could still hear him." 

"We've both done that," Bruce added with a soft grin. He unwrapped his scone and broke off a corner, offering it to Tony. 

"Trade ya," Tony said as Bruce chewed the small part he broke off. Bruce nodded and pushed his pastry over so Tony could break off another piece. Loki watched the exchange with slight interest, which was exactly what Tony wanted. 

"Not bad," Bruce commented after he ate the piece of Tony's cookie. 

"Yeah, I thought so too," Tony answered. "Never had one before." 

Bruce snorted. "Seriously? You _love_ sweets and you've never had a lemon cookie before?" 

"Honestly, does that _sound_ like it would be sweet?" 

"Sounds like it would be tart," Loki joined. Tony nodded and held his hand out. 

"Exactly my point; sounds like it would be _tart,"_ Tony said. "Which is why I wouldn't want it." 

Bruce chuckled and shook his head. "Sounds like you two have it all figured out." 

"Stark doesn't have a _damn thing_ figured out." 

Tony grinned and turned towards the voice. "I know that voice - Birdbrain's here!" 

The blond in the purple hoodie flipped Tony his middle finger as he walked into the room, his other hand wrapped around a warm ceramic mug. The red-head followed a few steps behind with Thor bringing up the rear. "See how you like calling me Birdbrain the next time you need extra DPS." 

_"Pssh,_ I'm more DPS then you can handle," Tony answered, leaning back and tossing his arm around the back of Bruce's chair. "Tell 'em, Brucie." 

"Hi, I'm Bruce, and not an asshole," Bruce said instead, smiling and ignoring Tony's gasp. He held his hand out to Clint, who accepted with a smug grin. 

"See? This is why he's the best healer _ever._ Always keeping the peace and putting an end to Stark's shenanigans," Clint snarked, sitting down beside Thor. Tony rolled his eyes and cupped his hand over his mouth towards Loki. 

"Can you believe this guy? He's pissed I stole his loot after the last raid," Tony mumbled. Loki's eyes flashed amusement at Clint's undignified yelp. 

"Hey man!" Clint squeaked. Thor laughed and took his seat beside the archer. "You better watch your back, machinist." 

"Wait, what was that? Did you need some mana melded onto your armour?" Tony asked. Clint pressed his lips together as Natasha sat down beside him. 

"Hey guys, calm down," she said smoothly. "Otherwise I'm fixing the guild events to ostracize _only_ you two." 

Thor and Bruce laughed when Tony snapped his mouth shut and quickly took a sip of his coffee. Clint groaned and glared at Natasha. "Why me? Stark _totally_ started it." 

"Yeah well, I finished it," Natasha answered coolly. Bruce chuckled and shook his head. 

"I hoped you were being yourself online," he said, holding his hand out to her. Natasha smirked and took it gently. 

"I could say the same for you, Bruce," she answered as they shook hands. "I have to say, you keep Tony at bay with obvious ease." 

"Well, living with him helps," he answered, flushing slightly at her praise. Loki glanced briefly at the curly-haired man as he spoke. "I know almost all his tells." 

"Careful, Brucie," Tony teased. "Nat might get _jealous."_

"Of _you?_ As if!" Clint snapped, grinning. "You're about as entertaining as a wet mop." 

"Hey, my material derives from my source - doesn't say much about _you,_ of course - " 

Clint laughed. "I am so ditching you in the next raid." 

"How do you deal with it?" Natasha asked Bruce, taking a sip of her coffee. The scientist just shrugged. 

"Years and years of tolerance, I guess," Bruce answered with a sigh. Tony flicked his ear from where his arm was still around his chair. 

"I take offense to that." 

"I take offense to _that!"_ Bruce grinned, rubbing his ear. Tony grinned back and did it again. 

_"Hey!"_

The sound of everyone's laughter drew Steve over, their missing guild leader. He was he same height as Thor but not quite as broad, almost matching his avatar's build as well. Steve grinned sheepishly and sat down at the head of the table, across from Loki. "Sorry I'm late, guys." 

"Oh hey, Stars!" Tony exclaimed with a wave. Steve waved back and scooted his chair in. "Good of you to join us, but I get a free pass next time I'm late to a guild meeting." 

Steve furrowed his brow and glanced at each member of the table. "Isn't that what this is?" 

"Aye!" Thor exclaimed, holding his coffee cup up. "A joyous union amongst friends! Thank you for including me, and my brother." 

Loki seemed to try very hard to not roll his eyes. 

"Brother?" Clint said, leaning over to look at Loki. "What's your name?" 

"Loki," Loki answered. "And I assume you are Clint, Natasha, and Steve." He pointed to each person, who in turn nodded. 

"Nice to meet you," Steve said warmly, smiling broadly. Anyone else and that smile would have appeared fake, but for Steve, it was genuine. Like he stepped out of a forties family photo. 

"Likewise," Natasha continued, and Clint agreed as well. 

"What brought you here, Thor?" Steve asked. "To America, I mean." 

Thor smiled again and explained that their father was head of a prestigious law firm who just accepted a billion-dollar client. The client needed a representative stateside, so the entire Durer family moved. 

"Loki and I are attending a nearby university to continue our studies," Thor finished. "I am to take over Father's firm." 

"What are you going for?" Tony asked Loki, who hardly glanced up from his book. 

"Literature," he answered simply. Tony nodded, feeling there was more to it but not wanting to press. 

"Bruce and I are attending class, too," Tony added. "Where are you guys?" 

"Ah, NYIT, I believe?" Thor answered, glancing at his brother. Once Loki nodded, Thor did the same. "NYIT." 

Tony grinned and pointed to himself and Bruce. "So are we!" 

Thor's smile widened. "Fantastic! Perhaps we can meet up again soon." 

"Absolutely," Bruce said with a smile. "Ah, let us know if you need help with anything on campus." 

"Thor and I are only there temporarily," Loki said, still staring down at his book. "Once acceptance is available, he will transfer to Harvard and I to Yale." 

Clint gave a low whistle. "Damn." 

"Guess we have to make the best of what we've got, then," Tony said, pulling Loki's attention. He gave a wink and smiled. 

"I suppose," he answered with a slight smirk. Tony felt like he won a million bucks. 

The conversation turned more towards the other members after that; Clint and Natasha lived together a few miles away with Steve being the furthest out. They were all attending school as well, for various reasons. Steve was already discharged from the army and a decorated war vet, going back to school to go into teaching, and Clint and Natasha were both joining the FBI. 

"Secret service?" Tony teased; Natasha just shrugged. 

"If I told you, Stark, I'm sure you could imagine the outcome," she answered. Bruce chuckled. 

"He doesn't listen too well, Natasha," Bruce teased. She smirked and lifted an elegant eyebrow at them. 

"I suppose he'll have to take my word for it, then." 

Everyone was exactly as Tony imagined they would be, especially after playing with them for so long. Steve steered the conversation naturally; he and Clint verbally sparred; he watched Bruce secretly stare at Nat whenever she wasn't looking; Thor just genuinely enjoyed being there; but Loki was the odd man out. He kept his attention on his novel and that was that. Eventually the topic turned to The World, as Tony expected it to. Still, he was far too interested in Thor's brother to be fully invested, until the idea to finally gain Loki's attention struck him. 

"So this new dungeon coming in next month's update sounds _harsh,"_ Clint said. "I was on the forums and saw a few reviews from the betas." 

"What's the idea?" Steve asked. 

"They're called the Caves of Sorrow," Natasha supplied. "It's up to an eight-man raid, but every cave is different. Ten levels deep with a random boss at the bottom." 

"The only connection is the status ailments," Clint continued. "Regardless of what you fight, each level is reverse to the previous. So like, the first level gives us a high attack but slow cool down, then the next is low attack but quick cool down." 

Bruce nodded. "So this could be terrible for _everyone."_

"Exactly," Steve answered. "We're pretty well rounded, though." 

"Actually," Tony began. Time to test the waters. "We _could_ be better." 

"How so?" Thor asked. He was always eager to help, any way possible. 

"If we had someone who could counter the ailments with buffs and debuffs, then it wouldn't be such a pain," he answered. 

"That could work," Steve agreed, nodding. 

"Yeah, until we get a combination that raises melee but lowers attack magic right before the boss floor," Clint grumbled. "Then we're _still_ fucked." 

"Not exactly," Tony continued. "We just need a dark magician. Bruce knows a few buffs but no attack magic; if we get a dark magician in our guild and level him quickly, we'll have those raids in the bag." 

"Regardless of combination," Natasha agreed. "Tony is on to something." 

"As long as we get someone up to our level and skill fast enough, we shouldn't have a problem," Bruce said. 

"I can put out a post on the forums," Steve offered. "Maybe we could have someone before the week is out." 

"No need," Tony said, drawing everyone's attention. He smiled and stood up, walking around his side of the table. "I have our dark magician right _here."_

Thor's face lit up when Tony dropped his hands to Loki's shoulders, startling the man from his book and making him blink owlishly. "Brother! You would join us?" 

"What?" Loki asked, glancing first at Thor and then up at Tony. The slight irritation in his eyes made Tony's stomach flip. "Join _what?"_

"Our guild," Tony said with a grin. "I bet you'd be _perfect."_

Loki's high cheekbones dusted a light pink that made Tony grin wider. Huh, _interesting._ He gave the man's shoulders a squeeze as everyone else joined it: 

"He already lives with Thor, so I bet he'd catch on quick," Clint mused. 

"We could gather armour and take him on low-level dungeons," Natasha offered, nodding at Bruce. 

"He wouldn't have to worry about being lost or abandoned with all of us to help him," Bruce agreed. "Tony has _some_ good ideas, after all." 

"It is settled!" Thor boomed, smiling broadly. 

"Loki," Steve said, smiling from across the table. Loki looked from Tony to Thor and finally Steve, his expression quizzical. 

"Ah, _yes?"_

"Consider yourself the newest member to the Avengers!" Steve announced, a collective cheer raising from the rest of the table. "We'll be with you every step of the way!" 

Loki blinked again, glancing around the table as Tony drifted back to his seat. He settled on the genius and briefly glared. "What have you volunteered me for?" 

"Nothing you won't enjoy," he answered with a wink. Loki's glare intensified as everyone else continued to chat about including him in their guild. Thor immediately drew Loki's glare away from Tony once he joined into the conversation, giving Tony the clearance he needed. 

Tony leaned casually back in his seat, hiding his smile behind his cup. Bruce was right - he _did_ have a few good ideas, and the best one of the day was making sure he found a way to keep that sexy voice in his life, until he had time to come up with an even _better_ plan. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed!! Please share your thoughts with me, I love hearing them! :)
> 
> Next up is a FrostIron one-shot, and then we're back to pirates! :D


	3. Round 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony takes his time showing Loki the ropes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided that I'll just be updating everything sporadically with oneshots sprinkled in. Be prepared.

* * *

"What are you - no, _no,_ like, that can - dude! Stop, just _stop."_

Tony dropped his face to his palm and groaned. This was just too much. Maybe he'd finally bitten off more than he could chew. 

Or maybe Loki was just intentionally being an ass. 

"What?" His low voice purred in Tony's ear. "Am I doing something incorrect?" 

_"Yes,"_ Tony hissed. He rubbed his eyes and breathed through his nose. "So much, so _much."_

"Then perhaps you should course correct," Loki continued. Tony imagined he found his fingernails more interesting than the computer screen right then. Or he was reading a book - _again._

"I've told you twice now to _not_ run off without me. You're level five and these things are level _twelve_ and I'd really rather not scrape your ass off of the cobblestones," Tony snapped. His patience had finally reached an end. 

After two hours of explaining the basics to Loki with Thor and then another hour after the blond had to go to class, Tony was about done. Loki was intentionally sabotaging his teaching. When Thor had been on the team, he seemed to not understand that Loki was having him on whenever he asked a silly question or 'accidentally' caught the marauder on fire; Tony couldn't help but snigger when that ire wasn't aimed on him, but now it wasn't so funny. 

Loki really was an ass. 

"So either take this seriously or I'm logging off and you can handle these giants walking termites by yourself," Tony finished, grabbing his water bottle a little forcefully. He was lucky Bruce wasn't there or he'd catch an earful. 

There was a moment of silence filled with just the natural background music of The World, a chorus of crickets and soft rustling of wind in leaves and grass. They were in a small woodsy area behind an abandoned castle; it was a great training spot that Tony found not too long after starting the game. Sometimes he'd take to hanging there to practice a new skill or work on his melding. Only low level enemies drifted by so often, leaving the user pretty much in solitude. 

As Tony took a sip of his water he stared at he monitor, his eyes on Loki's avatar. The dark magician was decked out in the highest level gear he could have (which, thanks to Tony, was nearly level forty). The robes were dark green with a gold trim and he carried a gold staff with a glowing blue cube on the top. He looked pretty badass, if Tony did say so himself, but none of that mattered if Loki wasn't going to actually _do_ anything. 

"I...apologize, Tony." Tony blinked - did he really just hear that? "I just - " 

Tony felt a pang of guilt. He'd volunteered the guy, after all, and he felt like had Loki not trailed off, his answer would be more along the lines of 'I don't want to play'. "What?" 

Another moment of silence; Tony wondered if Loki was struggling to explain. He decided to cut him a break. Loki didn't seem to be too forthright with personal info, anyway. 

"How 'bout we go over a few more things and then call it quits for the day, hmm?" Tony offered. He heard a barely audible sigh of relief. 

"That would be fine." 

They continued like that for about a week - Tony brought Loki to his little hideaway and guarded him against anything too big and let him loose on whatever Tony deemed he could handle. Before long, Loki finally began to grasp a few things and became comfortable with his character. The man was by no means unintelligent - in fact, Tony loved his snark and comments on whatever Tony shared. Their conversations eventually moved from just revolving around The World to schoolwork and then whatever lay beyond. Which for Tony was a little limited, but for Loki wasn't even close. Tony got treated to quite the imagery to Loki's daily life. 

Other members of the guild would jump on to help with Loki's training when Tony couldn't, and after the first week, Tony and Bruce took Loki to a low level dungeon. They made quick work of every enemy and loot chest, and once the boss was up, Loki's debuffs and battle magic were so spot on Tony could've cried for joy. While they were splitting up the loot, Tony pushed his headset down and looked over his shoulder at Bruce. "You think he's ready?" 

Bruce shrugged and clicked his mouse. "Could be. He's definitely catching on well, learning to read the AI and navigating his hot bar decently." 

Tony blinked. "But?" 

Bruce shrugged. "But _what?"_

"There's always a but, Bruce. I could practically _hear_ it." 

Bruce sighed and removed his glasses to rub between his eyes. "Something isn't right. I feel like there's something _off._ He's doing too well for only a few weeks' practice - " 

"He's smart," Tony immediately defended. _"Hella_ smart. And being a dark magician _isn't_ rocket science." 

"No," Bruce sighed. "But there's still something - " 

A soft _ping_ interrupted from Tony's desktop. He turned to see a private message from Loki. 

_Are you well?_

Tony felt his stomach flip. He was fine, obviously, just hashing shit out with Bruce, but he _had_ muted himself without so much as a word to the wise. Was Loki worried something had happened to him? The thought made him feel warm. 

_Yeah, I'll be back in a sec. ;)_

Tony stifled his widened grin at the little flirty emoji he sent and turned back to Bruce, all Serious Business. "You were saying?" 

Bruce sighed again and shook his head. "I don't think he wants to play. I don't think he and his brother get along very well, and having to work together doesn't seem like something Loki's a big fan of." 

Tony nodded. "I can agree with that last part - during training, he seemed to go out of his way to use Thor's avatar as a target for a few spells." He tapped his fingers on his desk. "The other, I dunno. He's taken pretty well to everything." 

Bruce paused, as if struggling with himself to decide if he should share something. Tony just waited; Bruce always told him everything, anyway. He just needed to be patient. "Natasha and I took him to a slightly higher dungeon a few days back." 

Tony felt his stomach clench, this time not in the 'warm-and-fuzzy' way, but the... _annoyed_ way. "I didn't know you guys took him for runs without me." 

Bruce smiled apologetically. "She wanted to see how his progress was coming along, and, well, she wasn't impressed." 

Tony balked. _"Seriously?_ How could she _not?_ He just did great with us - " 

"With _you,_ Tony," Bruce corrected. "He kept 'forgetting' to debuff me _and_ Nat. I can counter regardless, so that didn't matter too much, but when she's toe-to-toe with wyrms that cast Slow, she needs it. He's too independent to play a support class." 

Tony slowly nodded. "So he needs to master more battle magic." 

Bruce shook his head. "No, he _doesn't want to play,_ Tony. How do you not see that?" 

After that first moment where Tony had been sure he'd mention it, Loki never brought anything like that up again. He'd taken all Tony's teachings and suggestions and used them for successful runs, like the one they'd just had. Perhaps Tony was intentionally ignoring the facts (he does that, sometimes), but it was hard to agree with Bruce when he _knew_ Loki's potential. 

"I don't think you're right," he finally answered, spinning back around to face the monitor. Loki's avatar was still there, casually leaning against a rock wall beside the exit portal. He looked so much like real life Loki that Tony often caught himself staring. He did now to distract himself from Bruce's huff. 

"Well, believe what you want, but I can see it, Nat can see it, and whoever runs with him without _you_ will see it," Bruce explained. Tony heard him shuffling around for a moment before he saw him out of the corner of his eye. "I'm done for tonight. I need to look over some motes before tomorrow." 

Tony resisted rolling his eyes. Anytime they got even remotely _close_ to a disagreement, Bruce always high-tailed it with school as an excuse. It was weak, they both knew it, because Tony and Bruce never studied a day in their lives. 

Instead of calling him on it, Tony smiled at his best friend. "Alright. See you." 

"Yeah," Bruce answered weakly, and then he was gone. Tony waited until he heard the door to Bruce's room shut before pulling his headset back on. Bruce's avatar wasn't there, leaving just his and Loki. 

_Back,_ he typed. 

It was only a second before Loki spoke: "What took so long?" 

_Talking to Bruce before he logged off,_ Tony answered. 

"Hence the typing," Loki drawled. Tony wondered if that usually sardonic tone had a little bit more venom to it or if he was just imagining things. 

_Yeah, I'm super considerate like that ;)_

"I see," Loki replied. He lapsed into silence, moving his avatar to step into the exit portal. "Shall we?" 

_I'd follow you anywhere, doll face._

The light chuckle Tony got for a response made him feel warm again as he directed his avatar to the portal beside Loki. While the next area loaded, Tony had a moment to think. He could hear Loki's low breathing occasionally graze his mic, the sound more soothing than it should be. He'd be lying if he said his little crush on Loki hadn't multiplied with all the virtual time they spent together. They'd exchanged numbers towards the beginning at Tony's insistence (for scheduling, obviously) but Tony hadn't crossed that line in casual texting just yet. 

Now, though, Tony had something he needed to evaluate. Loki acted like an ass while they played, but as a whole they were a good team. Tony hardly had to ask for anything before Loki was casting Cure or Haste or whatever Tony needed. He had a hard time believing Loki was anything but _damn good_ at his class, but something Bruce kept saying made Tony pause. 

It was _Tony_ that Loki played well with, not Bruce or Natasha or _especially_ Thor. Tony didn't know if Steve or Barton ran with him or not, but he'd be willing to bet they'd have a similar opinion regardless. Maybe Loki had a thing for him, and oh, if that idea didn't bring a grin to his face nothing would. 

The screen still loaded, prompting Tony to grab his phone. He opened up a thread and picked Loki's name out of his contacts before typing away. 

_How far are you from campus?_

Loki snorted a laugh over Tony's headset. "My, Stark - are you too shy to ask in person?" 

_Bruce, remember?_

"...of course." Huh. That tone had certainly lost all of Loki's teasing. Tony filed that under the 'Loki Possibly Has A Thing For Me' section of his thoughts before continuing. 

_How far?_

There was a pause. "Perhaps ten or fifteen minutes; why?" 

_There's this bar/coffee shop that's got late hours. Wanna meet me?_

Tony tried not to hold his breath when Loki didn't immediately answer him. The screen loaded their hub world, Loki's dark magician standing nearly shoulder to shoulder with Tony's machinist. As contrasts go, the deep emerald of the dark magician blended well against the machinist's hot rod red armour. Tony felt a grin spread. 

"I can be there in twenty minutes," Loki answered quietly. Tony threw both of his arms in the air as his grin took over his face. 

_Cool! It's Grinding Gears, a block down from the bookstore. See you then ;)_

Tony waited a moment before logging out, curious if Loki would answer. Instead the other logged off, leaving Tony alone in their party chat. He followed suit, feeling his grin grow wider, if possible. 

He had plenty of time for a shower; Grinding Gears was just two blocks from the dorms, anyway. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LEAVE YO COMMENTS IN DAT BOX. :) ALSO - follow me on tumblr for silly things, zombified419. :3


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